Contact mechanism for toy railroads



June 19, 1928.

L. CARUSO CONTACT MECHANISM FOR TOY RAIILROADS Filed May 22, 1925 JL TLINVENTOR M ATTORNEY V erly Patented June 19, 1928.

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Louis oanoso, or invineron, NEW J'nnsnY, nssrenon rotrnn IJIONELCORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

CONTACT MECHANISM FOR TOY RAILROADS.

Application filed May 22,

The present invention relates to contact mechanisms for toy railroads.and is more particularly directed toward aform of mechanism suitable forcollecting the current from the third rail of a toy railroad track so asto supply propulsion current to the motors. I

According to the most approved form of construction used in toyrailroads, there is considerable flexibility between the car wheels andthe track in order to care for unevenness of track and to permit thecars to go through switches and cross overs and around curves at highspeed. It is therefore desirable to have a contact mechanism carried bythe car which can'readily accommodate itself to unevenness of track andthe irregular movements of the car truck on the track, while crossingswitches and taking curves, and the present invention aims to provide acontact mechanism which is propinsulated from the car truck and which iscapable of adjusting itself to the varying conditions which may arise.

An object of the present invention is to provide a movable contact forthese purposes and mounting means for the same, whereby it may becarried between the wheels of the toy railroad car truck so as toeffectively collect the current from the third rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a contact mechanism forthese purposes which will be flexible to a limited-degree in any desireddirection. 1

Other objects of the invention are to make up the mechanism for thistype out of a simple stamping and parts which will be serviceable andnot likely to get out of order.

The accompanying drawings show forpurposes of illustrating the inventionone of the many possible embodiments in which the present invention maytake form, it being understood that the drawings are'merely illustrativeof the invention, rather than limiting the same.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a car truck mountedon toy trackandcarrying the present form of contactmechanismr Fig. 2 is an endelevation takenin the-direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1, showing afragment of the truck frame in section;

Fig. 3 1:53 a sectional. view taken on the line 1925. serial No. 32,091.

3-3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction.

of the arrows Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 3 showing the tilting ofthe contact mechanism when the car has been shifted tomove the flangesof the wheels against a track rail, as in going around a curve; v v i 1i F igx. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view takenon the line 55 of Fig. I2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and V Fig. 6 is .afragmentary sectional View taken on -the line 66 of Fig. 2.

As ordinarily constructed ;a toy railroad track is made up in sections,each of which includes two outside or traclrrails .10 and 11 and acentrally disposed insulated third rail 12. These rails'ar'esuitably-carried'on sheet metal sleepers 13. These sections are made upof either straight or curved track and are soarranged that anynumberofsections can i be interconnected to provide tangents, -turn-'outs, switches, cross-overs-and the like, so as to imitate regularrailroad construction. The inventionwill be more particularly describedby reference to a structure-designed to operate on such track.

Atruck' frame which :may of a casting or stamping is shown at 14. Thisframe has dependingside members 15 and 1G 'in which the axles 17 andlS,carryingthe wheels 19,'are mounted. The contact mechanism is carried bythe truck frame-between the wheels. As [here shown, the upperbridgingportion of the truck .frame .is

slotted at 20 and 21 to accommodate theupper ends 22 and 23iofa U-shapedsheet metal stamping 24. The-central part ofthis stampe ing, as shownat25, 'is preferably-made flat as indicatedand' integral prongs .26 arebent downwardly so as to engage and securely hold a sheet of insulating.material27 .un-derneath the same. This sheet of insulating material isnotched at the ends as indicated at .28 and29 so as to provide "fouroutwardly extending projections 30, and a contact supporting stamping 31is .movably amounted onithe sheetof insulation. i

As here shown, the sheet metal stamping 31 has two upwardlybentmembers-.32 and 33 whose upper ends areqbent inwardlyas shown at 34 and35 to rest uponitheupper side of the insulating sheet27. Thestampingalso'has two depending legs 36 :and 37 which support a contact,here strewn in the be in the form contact to collect the currentrequired.

the car.

form of a contact roller 38 rotatably mounted therein. The sheet metalmember. is drawn upwardly as indicated at 39 to provide a guide andsupport for a small expansion spring lO interposed between theinsulating sheet and the body of the sheet metal stamping 31. A portionof the sheet metal stamping 31 is bent inwardly as indicated at 41 and abinding screw 42 is threaded into the same, so that one can attach aflexible lead wire {l3 to conduct the current from the contact mechanismto the motors or lights.

car is going around curves or when the 1 flanges of the car wheels havebeen brought against one of the rails, as illustrated in Fig. 4, thecontact mechanism is moved to one side of the center of the third rail,and the mounting means for the contact permits it to tilt bodily asthere indicated. This flexibility of the contact mounting provides thatthe full force of the spring will be utilized inpressingthe contactagainst the rail, and this therefore insures the making of a gofid T eprongs or projections 30 on the insulating sheet will prevent the sheetmetal stamping from moving sidewise so as to slip out of place or comeinto contact with the running gear of the car. They will also limit theswinging movement "of the contact mechanism to such an extent as toprevent accidental contact which would short circuit It is obvious thatthe invention may be embodied in many forms and constructions and I wishit to'be understood that the particularform shown and described isbutvone of the many forms. Various modifications and changes beingpossible,I do notin any Way limit myself with respect thereto. 'Iclaim:

1. In a third rail contact mechanism for toy cars, a contact roller, asheet metal memher having depending'legs at the side supporting theroller, and upwardly bentmembers at the ends, the upper ends of themembers being inwardly bent, and a binding screw carried bythe sheetmetal member.

2. In a third rail contact mechanism for toy cars, a contact roller,asheet metal member having depending legs at the side supporting theroller, and upwardly bent members at the ends, the upper ends of themembers being inwardly bent, a sheet of insulation carried underneathsaid inwardly bent ends, and an expansionspring interposed between thesheet of insulation and the sheet metal member.

3. In a third rail contact mechanism for toy cars, a contact roller, asheet metal mem' her having depending legs at the side sup: porting theroller, and upwardly bent members at the ends, the upper ends of themembers being inwardly bent, a sheet of insulation carried underneathsaid inwardly bent ends, and having projections engageable with thesides of the upwardly bent members, and an expansion spring interposedbetween the iheet of insulation and the sheet metal mem- 4. In a .thirdrail contact mechanism for toy cars, a contact roller, a sheet metalmem' her having depending legs at the side supporting the roller, andupwardly bent mem bers at the ends, the upper ends of'the members beinginwardly bent, a sheet of insulation carried underneath said inwardlybent ends, an expansion spring interposed between the sheet ofinsulation and the sheet metal member. and means for fixedly supportingthe insulation sheet from the truck.

5. A contact mechanism for'toy railroad cars, comprising a U-shapedstrap mounted underneath the frame oflthe car, a sheet of insulation,prongs struck out from the strap and holding the insulation sheet'inplace, a sheet metal member which passes upwardly through notches in theinsulating sheet, the upper ends of said member being folded over toengage the upper surface of the insulating. sheet, the lower portions ofsaid sheet metal member being bent downwardly to provide spaced bearingsfor a contact roller, a roller mounted therein, and a spring interposedbe tween the sheet of insulation and the sheet metal member. i

6. A contact. mechanism for toy railroad cars, comprising a U--shapedstrap mounted underneath the frame of the car, a sheet of insulation,prongs struck out from the strap and holding the insulation sheet inplace, a sheet metal contact carrying member supported from the sheet ofinsulation for limited vertical movement and limited angular movement intwo directions at right angles to one another, and a spring biasing saidcontact carrying member to apredetermined position. 1

Signed at Irvingtonin the county of Essex and State of New Jersey this20th day of May, 1925. i

LOUIS CARUSO.

